Compassion International Uganda Sponsor Tour October 23

Ronald
Originally uploaded by john_and_erin_rogers

In the next couple of months we'll be thinking more and more about our upcoming trip to Africa. After visiting some good friends in Ghana, we'll spend 10 days or so in Uganda to visit Ronald, a child we've sponsored for three years through Compassion International. We're tagging along with a group of other sponsors, who we hope will somehow stumble upon this blog and introduce themselves to us before we rendezvous in Kampala. So, if you're going on the trip, email us and we'd love to get to know you!

There's a number of things to do before we leave. One of the most difficult tasks so far has been deciding what gifts to bring him. We've spent the last several days thinking about this and tonight we put together a tentative list:

- backpack
- football (soccer, for all the Americans out there)
- small toy airplane (he wants to be a pilot)
- socks
- soap and shampoo
- toothbrush and toothpaste
- hard candy
- bubbles
- photo album
- 2 twin sheets

Is it possible to cram enough stuff into our suitcases to prove our love for him? Could we dramatically change his situation in life (or make ourselves feel better) by stuffing that backpack with cash? We think the answers aren't really that simple, but maybe we'll help him out a little with a few practical gifts.

They say that our visit itself is by far the best gift of all. I imagine we'll receive far more from Ronald, his family, and friends than we could ever hope to give back to him.

Isn't it great that there are hardworking people in Colorado Springs helping two Texans connect with an 11 year old boy in a rural Ugandan village, and that God has allowed us to witness the steady process of lifting a million children out of poverty, one child at a time?

You'll hear more about the trip in the coming months, and about Compassion, and how you can sponsor a child yourself.